Google Docs Now ‘Geared’ With Offline Functionality

Starting Monday, Google announced the offline access for Google Docs will be possible through Google Gears, still in beta version, an open source browser extension that provides offline functionality for Web applications. With Google Docs and Google Gears, users can now access their desktop apps without any inconvenient, such as the lack of an Internet connection.

In May last year, Google launched Google Gears as “an important step in the evolution of web applications,” making data availability problems when there’s no Internet connection an issue of the past. Eric Schmidt, Google CEO, said last year that Google Gears is “tackling a key limitation of the browser” and improves user experience in the “cloud.”

This year, Google wants to give users the chance to take the cloud with them anywhere, with an all-time accessibility: “With Google Docs offline (powered by Google Gears), I can take my little piece of the cloud with me wherever I go,” said Philip Tucker, Software Engineer for Google Docs, in the company’s blog.